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Cubs claim outfielder Cole Gillespie off waivers from San Francisco

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The Chicago Cubs today claimed outfielder Cole Gillespie off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. He has not yet reported to the major league club.

Gillespie, 29, was originally selected in the third round of the 2006 Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and made his big league debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010, appearing in 45 games. He has spent most of the last three seasons in Triple-A in the Diamondbacks and Giants organizations. Gillespie batted .308 with (136-for-441) with 35 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 66 RBI, 85 runs scored and an .884 OPS in 126 games with Arizona's Triple-A Reno affiliate last season, including a .361 batting average with a .448 on-base percentage vs. left-handed pitching.

The right-handed batter and thrower signed a minor league contract with San Francisco last offseason and hit .277 (65-for-235) with 11 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 31 RBI in 74 games with Triple-A Fresno this year before having his contract selected by the Giants on July 5. He went hitless in nine big league at-bats before being designated for assignment on July 9.

Gillespie is a career .218 hitter (26-for-119) with eight doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI in 53 big league games with Arizona (2010-11) and San Francisco (2013). He has seen action at all three outfield positions in the big leagues.

The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Gillespie earned minor league All Star honors in 2007 and 2008 and received the Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove Award in 2011. He is a career .289 hitter (847-for-2,927) with 174 doubles, 48 triples, 89 home runs and 460 RBI in 846 minor league games.

Gillespie attended Oregon State University, where he was a teammate of Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney. The duo helped lead the Beavers to the 2006 National Championship.